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Improving Community Health in Northern Nigeria   
March 30, 2011When Ahmed* had one wife and five children, his family had plenty of food and enough income to send his children to school. However, Ahmed lives in Bauchi State in northern Nigeria. Here many equate masculinity with having multiple wives. So, because of pressure from his family to follow cultural traditions, Ahmed took two more wives which meant more children. In Bauchi State, the average woman has around seven children. Families with so many children often face economic hardship which can lead to malnutrition and poverty and increase health risks for women. In Nigeria, one in 23 women will die due to childbirth-related causes and northern Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Ahmed’s wives continued to have children until there were thirty children among the three women. When his first wife barely survived the birth of her sixteenth child, he realized the risks his family faced and decided something needed to be done.
Fortunately for Ahmed, his Ward Development Committee (WDC) was participating in Targeted States High Impact Project’s (TSHIP) community action cycle training conducted by CEDPA, with inputs from other implementing partners, on reproductive health methods, family planning knowledge and various other health-related topics. TSHIP is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in Bauchi and Sokoto States of the federation of Nigeria. The program is a consortium of five organizations led by John Snow International together with CEDPA, Futures Group International, Jhpiego, and Management Strategies for Africa. The project was designed to increase the use of integrated interventions in maternal, newborn and child health, family planning and reproductive health in northern Nigeria. The community action cycle method engages community members in exploring the issues surrounding these topic areas. The trained members then help develop and implement realistic plans to educate, inform and provide health services, increasing the use of family planning methods and improving the health of their community. The project specifically focuses on strengthening the capacity of WDCs as they coordinate all ward activities. WDCs are comprised of many different sectors of the community including religious leaders, health providers, traditional leaders and agents of development. Involving community leaders from different sectors helps ensure all voices are included in the decision making process. Through the community action cycle process, Ahmed learned about the importance of family planning and changed his previously held beliefs surrounding marriage and family. Since the training, he has begun a dialogue with his family members about family planning methods. Learn more about CEDPA’s programs in reproductive health. *pseudonym |
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